Yes, your logic about saving time with the 33" mower is sound - that is about 57% more mowing width. I'm seriously considering moving to that size in the future for my .43-acre yard, which takes me well over one hour of mowing each week, not including trimming (it's not just a flat rectangle...). I don't think it's unreasonable at all to consider upsizing from a 21" mower for a lot that's larger than 1/3 acre. That Cub/Craftsman mower (same mower) has a long thread about here, with pretty favorable feedback about it so far. Search for that and you'll get a very good idea of what you get when you buy it. I think a few people here got it on sale for $999 or even $899, at which point it's a pretty good value. Two other 33" mowers that somewhat compete with it are the Sutech Stealth and the Billy Goat finish mower. Like the Craftsman, both of these have mechanical single drive. But instead of two blades they have three, and should theoretically give a better cut. They are also more compact lengthwise because of this. And they are more expensive - somewhere in the $1500-1900 range, I think. Another possibility would be any of the several 26" mowers, all of which still use a single blade but belt drive from the engine to the blade. Snapper and Toro/Metro have them, and another one I can't remember (MTD or Troy Bilt, maybe?). These might not be a ton cheaper than the Craftsman 33", however. Another option might be to shop for good used 36" pro walk-behinds, from Toro, Exmark, Ferris, Scag, Gravely, etc. These will be dual-drive models, meaning you use differential drive speeds to turn them. Some are mechanical drive and the really fancy ones are hydraulic drives. I've seen decent _looking_ ones for sale on craigslist and eBay for $1000 or even less, but keep in mind that most have been used heavily by professional crews. If you find one being sold by a residential user who is moving to a smaller house, that's the one to check out. These mowers aren't as compact as any of the others I've dicussed, but they are pretty slick in operation. Finally, in between the pro dual-drives and the 33" single-drive mowers is the Quick 36. This is a 36", three-blade, single-drive mower but it uses a very stout hydro drive. So it's as compact as the Billy Goat or Sutech but has a more heavy-duty and slick-working drive system. It's a "tweener" as I see it. But it isn't cheap: prices start at around $2300 and go up. A key might be to search for a gently used one. I've recently seen a couple of them in my area. I hope this is helpful. Basically I've just written down here what I've been thinking about for myself. Maybe next year...

Get the Deere owners manual you really will need it, to do all the routine maintenance. I'm surprised the seller did not include this even if it was a private sale. Call their toll-free number and tell them you want to buy the operator's manual. At this point, changing the mower deck after you already bought the tractor is going to get very expensive -- which is why some of us originally advised (cajoled?) you to purchase a tractor with a 60" deck. Finding the larger 54" deck that mates with that model tractor is not going to be easy, then you have to find a buyer for the 48" deck. Or you can mow the "uneven grassland" part at full speed and at full mowing height for the deck, which is probably four inches. Maybe as you can say, buy a tow behind gang mower for the rough part and use the Deere mower deck for the grassy part. I don't know how much horsepower it takes to pull one that has the many reel mowers on it.

I don't have any firsthand experience, but you might benefit from the experience of one of my neighbors, also with a 1-acre lot. He decided to by a Timecutter Z to replace his old Yazoo RER. I saw it the day he got it, in the back of his pickup truck. Next time I saw him mowing, however, he was back on the old Yazoo. When I asked him about it, he said he got frustrated with the ZTR and took it back because he had a hard time maneuvering in part of his yard and got stuck. If your yard is free of obstructions, this might not be an issue for you, however. Don't know why, but in our neighborhood of 37 houses on acre lots out in the country, there are no ZTRs. John

Natasha, haven't yet used the Tumax to create a trellis. Ran across these 20 years ago, found the idea intriguing & picked up a kit for a few dollars. Would think the structural strength would relate to the diameter gauge of the wire selected & the number of anchors used as support. Expect one of the multi-strand twisted or braided cable wires - in place of the galvanized wire roll that comes with the kit - would be much stronger & bear the weight of a mature rose. Since the wire is threaded through the loops that project from the anchors, would think how closely those anchors are spaced also figures into a weight capacity calculation. The tensile strength of the wire plus the number of anchors used along the line should yield a rule of thumb where the weight is distributed evenly along the span. Tumax may have this info with their professional kit instructions on their site - you might noodle around there to find it - or just contact them & ask for their load weight formula. Have used the anchors alone, without wires, as free form supports on a stone facade. Install them on the wall where they're needed as the rose grows & loosely figure eight tie the canes to the anchor eyelet. The anchors are hidden behind the plant. Gives a pleasant natural effect to my eye, as if the rose is doing it all by itself. (Look Ma, no hands!) To allow sufficient space between the wall & the plant, often add another ring or length of rubbery plastic chain onto the eyelet & tie to that as the canes thicken, allowing me to use those spongy noodle ties or green velcro loops. Lenarufus, Nahema is a beauty with toe-curling fragrance. Your wall coloring sets her off to perfection. New here this year as a gallon own root, she's a real charmer. Good growing to all! Sue